Apparatus for stacking articles



April 1, 1958 w. WEBB :ET AL APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES i1Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1, 1954 April 1, 1958 w. WEBB ETAL 2,828,594

APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES I Filed Feb. 1, 1954 11 Sheets-Sheet 2April 1, 1958 w. WEBB ET AL 8,

APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES Filed Feb. 1, 1954 11 Sheets-Sheet 3April 1958 w. WEBB ETAL 2,828,594

APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES Filed Feb. 1, 1954 ll Sheets-Sheet 4April 1, 1958 w. WEBB fEfAL 2,

APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES 11 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 1, 1954April 1, 1958 W. WEBB ETAL APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES l1Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Feb. 1, 1954 MM W WP April 1, 1958 w. WEBB ET ALAPPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES irlllllll l1 Sheets-Sheet 7' Filed Feb.1, 1954 A ril 1, 1958 w. WEBB ETAL APPARATUS FOR STACKING ARTICLES 11Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Feb. 1-, 1954 April 1, 1958 w. WEBB ET AL APPARATUSFOR STACKING ARTICLES 11 She ets-Sheet 10 Filed Feb. 1 1954 April 1,1958 w. WEBB ET AL 2,828,594

APPARATUS FOR STACKING'ARTICLES Filed Feb. 1, 1954 7 ll Sheets-Sheet 11APPARATUS 50R STACKENG ARTICLES Wiiliam Webb and Gunter Wittenherg, ParkRoyal, London, England, assignors to Frederick C. Kane Limited, London,England, a British company Application February 1, 1954, Serial No.407,454

4 Claims. (Cl. 53162) The present invention relates to a new or improvedmethod of and apparatus for stacking articles, and is utilisable, forexample, for packing articles into containers.

In the method according to the present invention the articles to bestacked are first formed into rows a number of rows then beingpositioned side by side to form a layer, upon which further rows ofarticles in layer formation are placed to produce a stack of articles.

According to the present invention a method of stacking articles inlayers as set out above comprises the steps of positioning a row ofarticles adjacent pusher means having a platen extending along thelength of a positioned row, operating the pusher means to cause theplaten to move the row of articles onto a supporting platform disposedat one side of the row of articles and to return the platen in readinessfor the delivery of a further row of articles and lowering thesupporting platform as each layer is completed to permit the successivestacking of further layers.

In the present specification the term row of articles is to beunderstood to mean either a single article or a plurality of articles.Thus in the former case wherein each row consists of a single article alayer would consist of a number of such articles placed side by side.Further, where the articles are of suflicient size a layer may consistof a single row.

The invention also contemplates the provision of apparatus for carryingout the method of stacking articles as set out above such apparatuscomprising means for supporting 21 positioned row of articles to bestacked, platform means for supporting the stacked articles, pushermeans having a platen extending along the length of the assembled row,operable to effect movement of the platen in one direction to dischargean assembled row of articles from the supporting means to the platformmeans, and to return the platen in the opposite direction in readinessfor the discharge of a further row of articles and means for effectingvertical movement of the supporting plaform as each layer of articles iscompleted to permit the successive stacking of further layers.

If the articles to be stacked consist of small packages such, forexample, as the conventional blocks of margarine, butter or the like,the upper surface of each layer may not be smooth enough to permit thefree movement across the same of the rows of articles forming the nextsucceeding layer with the result that the articles may be displaced,such displacement causing damage to the articles and stoppage of themachine.

To avoid this the apparatus is provided with a supporting plate which ismounted so as to be movable into position to cover the upper surface ofa completed layer, the rows of articles forming the next succeedinglayer being delivered onto the supporting plate, the supporting platebeing then withdrawn from between the two adjacent layers andrepositioned in readiness for a further layer.

The provision of the supporting plate has a particular 2,828,594Patented Apr. 1, 1958 ICE advantage when stacking and packing plasticsubstances such as butter, margarine or other fats as such substancesvery often are in a softened condition which renders handling of thesame by automatic machinery extremely difiicult, as when in thiscondition the blocks are very easily deformed or otherwise damaged withthe result that stacking and packing cannot be carried out efficiently.Previously it was usual when necessary to harden such substances beforepacking but under present day methods of manufacture it is proposed toreduce if not to eliminate entirely the hardening of the substance sothat the packing of substances of a plastic nature can be elfected withas little delay as possible.

The apparatus of the present invention is particularly suitable forpacking articles in layers into cartons or containers, and avoids thewasteful use of manpower at present used for this purpose.

Therefore according to a further aspect, the present in vention providesapparatus for packing articles in layers into a carton or container,.said apparatus comprising means for supporting a positioned row ofarticles forming part of a layer of articles, a magazine for supportinga carton or container with an open side opposing the positioned row ofarticles, pusher means having a platen extending along the length of theassembled row, operable to effect movement of the platen in onedirection to discharge an assembled row of articles into the container,and to return the platen in the opposite direction in readiness for thedischarge of a further row of articles and means for effecting verticalmovement of the magazine as each layer of articles is completed topermit the successive stacking of further layers and means operableautomatically to effect in the desired sequence the movements of thepusher means andrnagazine.

Preferably also according to this further aspect of the invention theapparatus is provided with means for effecting automatically thedischarge of a filled carton or container.

A machine for packing into a carton small packages, such as wrappedblocks of margarine or butter, will now be described by aid of theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of the machine as seen from one end, and hereinafterreferred to as the front end, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are views of the machine as seen from opposite sideshereinafter referred to respectively as the left and right hand sides.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view showing stop means for holding thecarriage in each layer assembly and loading position.

Fig. 5 is a view to an enlarged scale of the operating mechanism as seenfrom the left hand side of the machine, some of the components beingremoved for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 6 is a view of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 5 as seen fromthe rear end of the machine, several components having been removed forthe sake of clarity.

Fig. 7 is a further side view from the left hand side of the machineshowing the retractable supporting plate and mechanism for operating thesame.

Fig. 8 is a view from the left hand side of the machine showingdischarge means for ejecting a filled carton from the magazine and theoperating mechanism associated with the same.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a further side view taken from the left hand side of themachine and showing in particular mech anism for lowering the magazine.

Fig. 11 is also a side view of a portion of the upper part of themachine as seen from the left hand side the figure showing particularlythe package pusher means, and V Figs. 12 and 13 are plan and end viewsrespectively of the portions of the machine shown in Fig. 11.

Figs. 14 and are side and front views respectively of the cam assemblyutilised for obtaining the synchronised operation of the operatingmechanism of the machine.

In the machine shown in the drawings a first row of packages A is formedopposite the open end of a carton (not shown) which is positioned on amagazine B supported by a carriage C which is movable step by step fromthe upper position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 to a lowered position fordischarge from the machine. Each row of packages is formed along oneedge of a supporting plate D which extends into the carton to provide afalse bottom for each layer of packages as it is formed.

The first row of packages A is then pushed by a pusher platen E into thecarton, the pusher platen then being withdrawn to permit a second row ofpackages A to be formed on the supporting surface.

The pusher platen E is again operated to push this second row towardsthe carton, the packages in their travel engaging with the previouslydisplaced row to push the same further into the carton a distance equalto the width of the packages. Succeeding rows are then pushed into thecarton until a first horizontal layer is completed whereupon thesupporting plate D is withdrawn from beneath the layer of packages thelayer of packages being then supported by an inner wall of the carton.The carriage C is then lowered a distance approximately equal to thedepth of the said first layer and the supporting plate is again movedinto the supporting position so as to extend into the carton above thepreviously formed layer in readiness for the formation of the secondlayer of packages A.

The above sequence of operations is continued until the last layer ofpackages has been packed into the carton. The filled carton is thendischarged automatically, or alternatively removed by an operator, fromthe magazine B which is then in its lowered position. Upon removal ofthe carton the carriage C is returned to the upper position in readinessfor the filling of a further carton.

The operations are all effected automatically and in timed sequence withone another through mechanism which according to the present embodimentis cam operated.

The machine comprises a supporting stand having the left and right handside frame members 1 and 2 respectively projecting upwardly from a base3. The upper end of the supporting stand is provided at the front end ofthe machine with two upwardly projecting pillars 4 spaced one on eitherside of the machine the pillars being connected at their upper ends by abracing beam 5. The pillars are provided for the support of guidewaysfor the carriage C and will be described fully hereinafter.

The packages A are fed into the machine through a guide chute 6 ofchannel section which extends outwardly from the right hand side of theupper surface of the supporting stand. The guide chutes can however bearranged on the left hand side of the machine. The dimensions of thechannel section of the guide chute are such that the packages are formedinto a row as they are fed into the machine. The packages may be placedin the guide chute by an operator but preferably they are fed from aconveyer, the discharge end of the conveyer being placed adjacent to andin line with the outer end of the guide chute 6.

For the sake of clarity the sequence of operations and the mechanism foreffecting such operations will be described separately and under theirrespective headings.

Pusher platen E The pusher platen E consists of a vertically disposedplate which is secured by countersunk screws 7 to two 4 grackets 8acarried on the forward end of two guide ars 9.

The guide bars 9 are spaced apart from one another on opposite sides ofthe longitudinal centre line of the machine, each guide bar beingslidably mounted in a pair of spaced bearings 10, supported on the uppersurface of the supporting stand. Grease nipples 11 are provided forlubricating the guide bars 9, the said grease nipples being carried by aremovable cover 12 enclosing the upper end of the supporting stand.

A bracket 8 is coupled by a shackle pin 13 to one end of a connectingrod 14, the opposite end of which is connected by a further shackle pin15 to the upper end of a swinging lever 16. The swinging lever 16extends downwardly of the supporting stand and is pivotally mountedintermediate its length on a cross shaft 17 which extends transverselyacross the width of the machine adjacent the rear thereof, the crossshaft being supported at its opposite ends in bearings 18, the bearings18 on one side of the machine being carried in a side plate 19detachably secured by bolts 20 to the side frame members of thesupporting stand, the bearings 18 on the opposite side of the machinebeing assembled in housings formed in the machine framework.

The swinging lever 16 is turned in a clockwise direction to move thepusher platen E to the right, Fig. 11, to push a complete row ofpackages A into a carton positioned on the magazine, the pusher platen Bbeing returned in the opposite direction to permit a further row ofpackages to be assembled in front thereof by effecting anti-clockwisemovement of the swinging lever 16.

The clockwise movement of the swinging lever 16 is effected by a tensionspring 21 one end of which is anchored to the swinging lever 16 whilstthe other end is anchored to a fixed anchorage pin 22. The swinginglever 16 is urged against the pull of the spring 21 in an anti-clockwisedirection by an edge cam 23 which is secured to so as to rotate with acam shaft 24 which extends transversely across the width of the machineand is supported at its opposite ends in bearings 25. The periphery ofthe edge cam 23 is in contact with a cam follower 26 carried by theswinging lever 16.

The cam shaft 24 is driven by an electric motor 27,

" supported by the base of the supporting stand, through a reductiongearing 28, the output pulley 29 of which is connected by a belt drive30 to pulley wheels 31 mounted on one end of the cam shaft.

Operation of the swinging lever 16 by the spring 21 is prevented until acomplete row having the desired number of packages A is assembled infront of the pusher platen E. For this purpose the lever 16 is held inan extreme anti-clockwise position by a trip catch 32 the free end ofwhich engages the lower end 33 of the swinging lever. The trip catch 32is pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a horizontally disposedpivot pin 34 mounted adjacent the lower end of the supporting stand, thetrip catch being urged by a spring 35 into engagement with the end 33 ofthe swinging lever.

The trip catch 32 is pulled out of engagement with the swinging leverupon energisation of a solenoid 36 the plunger of which is connected toone end of a connecting rod 37, which is anchored by its other end tothe trip catch 32.

The circuit of the solenoid 36 is controlled by a micro switch 38 theoperating button of which is disposed in opposition to a pressure plate39 which is disposed at right angles to the pusher platen E. In thearrangement shown in Fig. 12 the pressure plate 39 is a flexible platesecured along one edge to the casing of the microswitch. The pressureplate 39 is positioned at the limit of the end of a row of packages andis adapted to be engaged by the end surface of the end package in therow, such engagement causing the pressure plate to be displaced lever.

if G) into contact with the operating button of the microswitch toenergise the solenoid 36.

As the pusher platen E is operated to pushta row of packages A into apositioned carton the assembly of further packages from the guide chute6 is prevented by positioning a stop member in the path of movement ofthe packages. As shown in Fig. 12, the stop member consists of a plate42 forming a right-angled extension of the pusher platen E, the plate 42being thus moved across the inner end of the guide chute 6 upon forwardmovement of the pusher platen E.

The feeding of the packages to the machine is operated independently ofthe timed movements of the swinging lever 16, thus if the feeding of thepackages is interrupted and then re-started it is possible that thepressure plate 39 will be operated to release the swinging lever at atime when the edge cam' 23 is at an angular position wherein the same isout of contact with the swinging In this position the swinging lever 16would be pulled rapidly in a forward direction by the spring 21 suchmotion probably effecting either displacement of the packages in the rowand/ or damage to said packages.

To avoid the above a second micro-switch 40 (see Fig. 15) is provided,which is connected in series with the micro-switch 38 and the solenoid,the button of this second micro-switch being operable by, a cam 41secured so as to rotate with the cam shaft 24, the contour of the cam 41is such that this second micro-switch is closed only when the cam 23 isin a predetermined angular position to permit controlled swingingmovement of the lever 16.

Supporting plate D The opposite end of the connection rod is coupled byapivot pin 47 to the upper end of a swinging lever 43 which is pivotallymounted adjacent its lower end on the cross shaft 17. The swinging lever48 is pulled in an anticlockwise direction by a tension spring 49 oneend of which is connected to the said swinging lever, the opposite endof the spring 49 being anchored to a fixed anchor pin 56 secured to thesupporting stand. The swinging lever 43 is turned in a clockwisedirection against the pull of the spring 49 by a cam 51 mounted on thecam shaft 24, the peripheral edge of the cam 51 engaging a cam follower52 carried on the lower end 53 of the swinging lever 48. I

During the formation of a layer of rows of the packages A, thesupporting plate D is held outwardly in position in the magazine by acatch 54 pivotally mounted on a stub shaft 55 supported in a bracket 56extending downwardly from the under surface of the upper end of thesupporting stand of the machine. The stop is adapted to be moved into aposition as shown by the dotted lines, wherein its free end engages withan abutment surface 57 forming part of the lug 44, when in its forwardposition.

Upon completion of the first layer of rows of packages A on thesupporting plate D the said plate is withdrawn by the spring 4? byeffecting disengagement of the catch 54 and the abutment surface 57, thelayer of packages being deposited (m the side of a carton positioned inthe magazine.

Withdrawal of the catch 54 is effected by turning the same in aclockwise direction through a crank 58, one end of which is secured tothe stub shaft 55 the free end of the crank being connected to one endof a connecting rod 59. The opposite end of the connecting rod iscoupled to the free end of one arm 60 of a bell crank lever which ispivotally mounted on a stub shaft 61. The free end of the other arm 62of the bell'crank lever g is connected to one end of a tension'spring 63the opposite end of which is anchored to a fixed anchor pin 64. Thetension spring 63 operates to pull the bell crank lever in a clockwisedirection so that the stop member 54 is urged to the locking position.

Upon completion of a layer of rows of packages A as mentioned above, thebell crank lever is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction whereby thestop member 54 is pulled out of engagement with the abutment surface 57.This movement of the bell crank lever is effected by engagement of aroller 65 with the under edge of the arm 62 of the bell crank lever. Theclockwise rotation of the bell crank lever is limited by engagement ofone end of a stop screw 66 with a fixed lug (not shown) the stop screwbeing adjustable to permit adjustment of the angular position of thelever.

The roller 65 is carried by a disc 67 rotatably mounted on the cam shaft24, the rotational movement of this disc to effect the desired movementof the bell crank lever being controlled by the swinging movements ofthe swinging arm 16.

For the above purpose a toothed pinion wheel 68 is secured to the disc67, the teeth of the pinion engaging with the teeth of a gear wheel 69rotatably mounted on the cross shaft 17. The gear wheel 6% is secured bybolts to a ratchet wheel '76 also rotatably mounted on the cross shaft17 the teeth of the ratchet wheel being engageable by a pawl 71pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a pivot pin 72 carried bythe swinging lever 16. The pawl 71 is spring loaded by a spring 73 whichoperates to hold the pawl into engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel 76. A holding pawl 7 tie is provided to lock the ratchet wheelwhen the pawl '71 is freed from engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel.

The arrangement is such that as the swinging arm 16 moves in a clockwisedirection the ratchet wheel and gear wheel 69 are rotated, the pinionwheel 68 is also rotated to turn the disc 67 through a predeterminedangular movement each time a row of articles is moved into the carton.Repeated operation of the swinging lever 16 will therefore causesufiicient rotational movement of the disc 67 to cause the roller 65 toetfect the desired anti-clockwise movement of the bell crank lever 60 towithdraw the stop member 54 to permit withdrawal of the supporting plateD.

In the construction shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings three rollers 65 areshown equally spaced from one another around the disc 67, thisarrangement will permit withdrawal of the supporting plate D after theinsertion of four rows of packages A into the carton. It will beappreciated that the number of rollers 65 can be increased or decreasedto vary the number of rows of packages to be placed in the carton tocomplete a layer of packages.

Magazine and carriage lowering mechanism After the withdrawal of thesupporting plate D upon completion of a layer and before the same isagain moved forwardly of the machine into the supporting position inreadiness for the formation of a succeeding layer and its deposit on apreviously formed layer it is necessary to lower the carriage C andmagazine B a distance equivalent to the height of the packages A.

The magazine B consists of a pair of side plates 74 which are flangedinwardly as shown at 75 at their lower ends. The side plates 74 arespaced apart a distance sufiicient to permit a carton to be placed overthe same with the open end of the carton facing the pusher platen E. Theside plates 74 are secured to the carriage C which is constituted byvertical slides 76 connected together at their lower ends by a plate '77which is secured to the side frame members by the bolts 73. The slides76 are provided with bushes, not shown, slidably mounted on verticalposts 79, each of which extends upwardly from the base of the machine,the upper end'of each post 79 being located in a housing 80. Thehousings are supported by the cross beam of the machine framework.

The carriage C is urged to the upper position shown in Fig. 1, by pairsof compression springs 81 and 82 respectively, surrounding the verticalposts 79. The springs 81 are adapted to be compressed between the lowerends of the slides 76 and the upper surface of the base of the machine,the compression springs 82 being positioned so as to be compressiblebetween the upper surface of the supporting stand of the machine andbosses 83 secured to the slides 76 and surrounding the vertical posts79.

The downward movement of the carriage C and consequently the magazine Bis effected by a rack and pinion mechanism the magazine being held ineach layer loading position by suitable stop means.

The rack is shown at 84 and is disposed vertically of and secured to theplate 77, the rack teeth being engaged by the teeth of the pinion 85which is rotatably mounted on a' stub shaft 86 carried by a bracket 87secured to the supporting stand.

Rotation of the pinion 85 is obtained by effecting correspondingrotation of a driving pinion 88 secured to the rack pinion 85 andmounted on the stub shaft 86, see Fig. 10. The teeth of the drivingpinion 88 are in engagement with the teeth of a gear wheel 89 which isrotatably mounted on a forward cross shaft 90 extending across the widthof the supporting stand. The cross shaft 90 is supported at oppositeends in bearings 91.

The gear wheel 89 is rotated in the appropriate direction to effectlowering of the carriage C through a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanismwhich is operated each time the supporting plate D is moved to thewithdrawn position.

The ratchet wheel is shown at 92 and is mounted on the shaft 90, theratchet wheel being secured to the gear wheel 89 so that the two willrotate together.

The pawl 93 is pivotally mounted at 93a on a radial arm 95 carried by aboss 96 rotatably mounted on the shaft 90. The radial arm 95 is urged tothe position shown in Figure by a tension spring 97 which is anchored byone end to a further radial arm 98 also carried by the boss 96 theopposite end of the spring being secured to a fixed anchorage pin 99carried by the machine framework. The clockwise rotation of the radialarm 95 is limited by engagement with a fixed stop, not shown.

The rear end of the pawl 93 is provided with a slot extendingtransversely of its width through which a pivot pin 93b projects, thepivot pin extending outwardly from one end of a cranked lever 101. Theouter end of the radial 9S and the rear end of the pawl 93 are connectedby a tension spring 1130 which tends to urge the said pawl into theengaged position with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 92.

The cranked lever 101 extends rearwardly of the machine the leverpassing between a pair of rollers 1152 carried by a vertical shaft 103.The shaft 103 is slidably mounted adjacent its upper and lower ends inguides 104 and 105 respectively and is urged towards a lower position bya tension spring 106.

The shaft 103 is adapted to be raised to impart through the lower roller102 a lifting movement to the rear end 107 of the cranked lever'101 tobring this end of the lever into the path of movement of a projection108 carried by the swinging lever 16 as shown in Fig. 10. Thus as theswinging lever 16 moves in an anti-clockwise direction the cranked lever101 is drawn in a rearward direction whereby the pawl 93 effectsrotation of the ratchet wheel 92 in an anti-clockwise direction (Fig.10) a corresponding motion imparted to the gear wheel 89 effecting inturn rotation of the rack pinion 85 in a clockwise direction. Thecarriage C and magazine are therefore moved downwardly an amountcontrolled by the swinging movement of the swinging lever 16.

The raising movement of the shaft 103 is effected by the engagement of apin 53a carried by the lower end 53 of the swinging arm 48 with aprojection 109 suitably positioned in the length of the shaft 103. Thecranked lever 101 is returned to its normal position with its rear end107 clear of the projection 109 by the tension spring 97 which is freeto rotate the boss 96 in a clockwise direction when the swinging lever16 again commences a clockwise swinging movement, the shaft 103 beingagain lowered by its spring 106 when the lower end 53 of the swingingarm 48 turns in a direction to move the pir. 53a out of engagement withthe projection 109.

The carriage C is held in each lowered position by the engagement of oneof a plurality of fixed stop members 110 with a movable stop 111, themovable stop member being adapted to be moved out of and into theengaging position as the carriage is lowered.

The stop member 111 is carried by the lower end of an arm 112 which ispivotally mounted by its upper end on a pivot pin 113 supported in themachine framework at the front thereof. The pivot pin has securedthereto an arm 114 which is spring loaded by a tension spring 115. Eachstop member 110 is secured to the slides 76 of the carriage C so as tomove therewith. Each stop member 110 is provided with a sloping face 116and as the carriage is lowered the movable stop 111 is engaged by thesloping face 116 whereby the arm 112 is displaced angularly against theaction of the spring 115. Continued downward movement of the carriage Cbrings the ledge 117 of the stop member 110 beneath the movable stop 111so that the arm 112 is free to be pulled by the spring to the normalposition so that the carriage is then held in the lowered position bythe engagement between the ledge 117 and the movable stop 111.

The downward movement of the carriage C is continued to bring the ledge117 a short distance below the movable stop 111 the carriage being thenpermitted to rise again under the action of the springs 81 to bring thestop members into engagement with one another as a result of lost motionaccumulated in the mechanism.

The stop members 110 are preferably and as shown mounted so that thespacing of the same is adjustable whereby the step by step downwardmovement of the carriage C can be adjusted to suit packages of differentheight.

When the carton is filled and the carriage is in its fully loweredposition the carton is in registration with an ejector plate which isoperable to push the carton and contents from the magazine, the cartonbeing, for example, discharged onto a conveyor to transfer the same to asealing station or other position.

Ejector plate mechanism The ejector plate is shown at 124 and isdisposed vertically at the front end of the machine. The discharge plateis secured to a framework 125 which is carried by a pair of spaced guidebars 126 slidably mounted in guides 127 carried by the framework of themachine. The framework is spring loaded by a pair of springs 128 thesprings operating to maintain the discharge plate 124 in a retractedposition.

The ejector plate is moved in a forward direction to eifect discharge ofa carton through the medium of a push rod 129 which is pivotally mountedabout its forward end on a pivot pin 130 carried by the framework 125.The push rod 129 is normally held in the raised position shown in Fig. 8by a vertical shaft 131 which is slidably mounted in upper and lowerbushes 132 carried by the machine framework, the upper end of this shaftbeing provided with a bearing 133 the periphery of which engages theunder surface of the push rod 129, the vertical shaft 131 beingmaintained in the upper position by a sompression spring 131a whichsurrounds the lower en To obtain the outward movement of the dischargeplate 124 the vertical shaft 131 is pulled downwardly as a result of theengagement of a foot 131b mounted on the carriage with a radius rod 131awhich extends outwardly from the vertical shaft 131, such engagementcausing the said vertical shaft to move downwardly an amount sufficientto permit the rear end of the push rod to come into registration withthe upper end of a swinging arm 134 which is pivotally mounted by itslower end on the cross shaft 17. The rear end of the push rod 129 isprovided with a transverse pin 135 which when the push rod is in thelower position is adapted to engage in the transverse slots 136 formedin the forked upper end of the swinging arm 134 such engagementpreventing the push rod 129 from turning about its pivoted end duringoutward movement of the discharge plate.

The swinging arm 134 is moved backwards and forwards about the shaft 17by a cam 137 mounted on so as to be rotatable with the cam shaft 24 theperipheral edge of the cam being in contact with a cam follower 138carried by a lever 139. The lever 139 is pivotally mounted by its lowerend on the forward shaft 90 and is connected at its upper end by aconnecting rod 140 to the swinging arm 134.

After the ejection or discharge of a filled carton from the magazine Bthe magazine and carriage C are returned automatically to the upperposition by the compression springs 82, spring loaded buffers (notshown) being provided in the housings 80 to limit the said upwardmovement and eliminate shocks to the carriage and framework of themachine as the carriage reaches the upper position.

To enable the carriage to move upwardly it is necessary to disengage thepawl 93 from the teeth of the ratchet wheel 92, so that the ratchetwheel and rack pinion 85 can rotate freely as the carriage rises.

For this purpose the pawl 93 is turned about the pivot in a direction towithdraw the same from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel92, the pawl being so held as the same is returned to its normalposition by movement of the cranked lever 101 from a rearward positionto the forward position upon the completion of the cycle of operations.

The turning movement of the pawl is obtained by depressing the rear endof the same by a lever 118 which is pivotally mounted by one end on apivot pin 119 carried by the bracket 87. This lever is turned in ananticlockwise direction to release the pawl 93 upon movement of a link12!) which is secured by one end to the free end of the lever 118, theother end of the link 120 being connected to a radius arm 121 pinned tothe shaft 113.

The shaft 113 is turned in a clockwise direction (Fig. 8) to release thepawl when the carton ejector push rod 129 reaches the outer limit of itstravel through a crank 122 secured by one end to the shaft 113, thecrank being turned in the appropriate direction by the engagement at itsfree end of a stud 122a carried by the push rod 129.

The pawl engaging edge of the lever 118 is curved as shown in Fig. toconform to the arc of travel of the pawl so that the same is maintainedout of the ratchet wheel engaging position during its return movement.

The engagement of the transverse pin 135 on the push rod 129 in thetransverse slots 136 at the upper end of swinging arm 134 ensures thatthe push rod 129 is held down to maintain the carton ejector plate inthe forward position whilst the magazine and carriage move upwardly. Ifthe push rod were not held down during this movement, as soon as thecarriage commenced to move upwards the resulting disengagement betweenthe foot 131i;

.and radius rod 1310 would permit vertical shaft 131 to rise with theresult that the push rod 129 would lift and the extractor plate bewithdrawn. Thus the crank 122 would be rotated in an anti-clockwisedirection the resulting movement of the shaft 113 effectingdisengagement between the lever 118 and the pawl 93. The pawl would.then reengage the teeth of the ratchet wheel whereby the; same would belocked against further free rotation to prevent the carriage C fromrising.

In the apparatus described above therectractable supporting plate D mayconsist simply of a flat plate of thin gauge material. However toaccommodate any irregularities in the packages which may result intheleading edge of the retractable supporting plate fouling the packagesof a layer as the said plate moves forwardly over the layer, the saidleading .edge may be provided with means to guide the same over thepackages or the plate itself may be shaped for this purpose.

For example the leading edge can be provided with a tip consisting of athin upwardly curved flexible strip or with a plurality of springfingers. The resilience of such strip or fingers must be sufiicient topermit the same to bend as the supporting plate is retracted frombeneath a formed layer so that the packages in the layer are notdisturbed. Alternatively the retractable supporting plate may be curvedacross its Width, the trailing and leading edges projecting upwardly,the flexibility of the plate permitting deformation of the same underthe weight of a layer of packages so that the plate can be withdrawnwithout displacing the packages in an assembled layer.

For the stacking of certain articles such as solid articles which aresubstantially non-deformable, or for packing such articles into cartonsor containers, the supporting plate may be dispensed with, the operatingmechanism therefore being utilised to insert a spacer of cardboard, woodor other material, between the layers.

The spacers can, for example, be fed either automatically or by handfrom a stack to spacer holding means carried by the T shoe 43, movementof the T shoe in one direction serving to position a spacer over anassembled layer of articles, the spacer holding means being operable torelease the spacer as the T shoe is withdrawn in readiness forpositioning a further spacer.

The method and apparatus of the present invention are particularlysuitable for the packing of articles into containers for transport thusavoiding the use of operators normally employed for this purpose wherebya considerable saving of manpower is possible.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for stacking articles, said apparatus comprising a platefor supporting a positioned row of articles to be stacked, platformmeans for supporting a carton to receive the stacked articles, saidsupporting plate extending over said platform means to enter a cartonsupported thereon, pusher means having a platen extending along a lengthof the assembled row, cam-operated lever means operable to effectmovement of the platen in one direction and simultaneously to withdrawsaid supporting plate from its position over said platform means after apredetermined number of rows have been assembled on said sup-- portingplate by said platen thereby to discharge assembled rows of articlesfrom the supporting plate as a layer in the carton supported by theplatform means, and to return the platen in the opposite direction inreadiness for the discharge of a further row of articles, means foreffecting vertical movement of said platform means including a rack onsaid platform means, a gear meshing with said rack, pawl and ratchetmechanism for driving said gear and means controlled by the lever meanswhich elfects movement of said supporting plate for operating said pawland ratchet mechanism, and means returning said supporting plate intoposition over said platform means at the completion of each verticalmovement thereof.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said vertical movements ofsaid platform means are in a downward direction after the deposit ofeach layer of articles in the carton supported by said platform means,in combination with means latching said platform means against upwardmovement after each downward movement thereof.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 2, in combination with 1 1 means fordischarging a carton from said platform means upon completion of thefilling thereof.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 2, in combination with means fordischarging a carton from said platform means upon completion of thefilling thereof, and means actuated by said carton-discharging means forreleasing said latching means.

768,104 Weida Aug. 23, 1904 12 Keyes Mar. 6, 1906 Kasser Mar. 31, 1931Wagner Aug. 30, 1932 Kimball et al Jan. 9, 1934 Carey June 23, 1936Creamer Sept. 19, 1944 Tyrrell Jan. 2, 1951 Rideout et al. Sept. 1, 1953Perry Apr. 13, 1954

